"Young Lord," the messenger bowed when Zeref approached him. He was a short man compared to his brother and his hair was a rustic brown flattened from the hat that was now in his hands. Natsu stood beside his older brother staring at the nervous man curiously. "Your father's ship, the Red Dragon -" the man hesitated and began fidgeting with his hat. His gaze dropped to a spot on the ground, avoiding eye contact.

"What is it, Thomas?" Zeref encouraged in a soft voice. The man - who Natsu now knew as Thomas - brought his head up so quickly that it made the young boy dizzy. Thomas wore a glassy stare, almost as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment.

"Your father's ship was attacked by pirates." Thomas brought his hands up and buried his face into his hat. "Mr. Dragneel was a good man. I'm sor-" The man sobbed and Natsu could see that he was biting his lip from a small peak where his hat did not cover him. Thomas took in a shaky breath before he finished speaking. "He will be sorely missed."

The Dragneel brothers merely stared at the man who had just delivered the news about their father's death. Neither one could believe that someone as kind and loving as their father could just be taken away, but that was exactly what happened. Igneel Dragneel had been taken from this mortal plane without so much as a warning.

Natsu saw his older brother tremble from out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards him to say something - anything - but he was at a loss for words. The young boy looked down bitterly, clenching his fists at his sides. If I had known, Natsu thought as he closed his eyes to keep the tears at bay, I would have tried harder to make him stay.

His head snapped upwards when he heard a loud and painful thud. "Zeref!" Natsu yelled as he saw his brother on his knees trembling from the shock.

Before Natsu could move towards his beloved older brother, a piercing crackle of thunder had caught his attention. He looked out the large window to see dark clouds begin to blanket over the once bright and sunny sky. Natsu looked back toward his brother but was blinded by the heavy rain that was suddenly pouring into his eyes.

He squinted in an attempt to see through the downpour. He saw a fire, relentless against the rain, consume the once glorious galleon that he immediately recognized as the Red Dragon. Natsu fell and rolled to the side of the ship as a large wave crashed mercilessly against it. The ship teetered awkwardly as it tried to regain its already shaky balance on the restless ocean. He choked on the smell of gunpowder and the taste of salt from the seas endeavor to force the ship under her waves. He could hear the clash of metal, the rumble of the occasional thunder, and the screech of a man dying a painful death.

Natsu got up and grabbed on to the railing. He began stumbling towards the helm of the ship hoping he'd find his father there. He tucked his chin into his chest to keep the rain out of his eyes and dragged himself forward with the guidance of the railing. When he thought himself close enough to the bow of the ship, he opened his eyes and spotted two silhouettes.

In the middle of the upper deck, a battered man covered in blood was gripped by his mangled red ponytail and tossed mercilessly into the ship's side like a ragdoll. The attacker wore a hood to cover his sadistic sneer and blood red eyes from his unknowing prey. He chuckled darkly, grabbing the Captain by his right arm, which appeared to be bending outward at the elbow, dangling helplessly from its joint. The hooded figure's muscles in his exposed arms flexed, causing the tattooed blue symbols that spiraled up his arms to dance eerily across his skin. Almost as if they basked in the blood of the less fortunate.

The hooded stranger towering over Natsu's father raised his arm revealing a gun. A gun that was aimed straight for his dad's head. Igneel was slowly rising to his knees, his stubborn nature not allowing him to simply lay on the floor and submit to his inevitable fate. Natsu dragged his body forward fighting against the storm that seemed to be growing stronger with each passing moment. Not once did he look away from the morbid scene that was unfolding before him. He desperately wanted to yell out and warn his father but the words were stuck in his throat.

As if on cue, Igneel looked up and caught sight of his youngest son. With a confused look, he opened his lips to say something, but the words were drowned out by an angry boom of thunder. The lightning cast a sinister glow across the deck as Igneel dropped to the ground lifeless; unspoken words on the tip of his tongue and a bewildered look forever frozen on his face.

The wind picked up, ruffling the stranger's hood before whipping it off, unveiling a head of long silver hair. Natsu could see the man's sadistic smile looking over the body of what was once his father. The murderer's smile grew wider when Igneel's blood began to seep out of the bullet hole, mixing together with the water on the deck and sloshing over the tops of his boots.

He released an agonizing roar to the dark skies capturing the attention of the silver-haired man. Natsu collapsed onto his knees, crying out his anguish as two sets of heavy boots made their way towards him. Natsu placed his head onto his folded arms before he felt a hand rest gently atop his head.

He looked up in surprise to see his brother lying before him, complexion pale and body weak with fatigue. However, Zeref still managed a weary smile when he saw the astonishment on Natsu's face. "You're finally awake," he whispered.

He stared at the face of his little brother who was now anything but. His chin was more pronounced and his eyes sharper. Zeref could see the hairs on his brother's chin create a shadow that proved he was exhausted. Natsu liked to have a cleanly shaved face and the fact that he had neglected that meant he was plaguing himself with anxiety and incessant worry.

"You've grown," Zeref said as if he were seeing his younger brother for the first time. He placed the hand that was covering Natsu's hand on his cheek and examined the familiar features. "You look so much like him." He let out a hoarse laugh. "Where have the times gone?" Zeref's faint laughter soon turned into a watery cough.

"Zeref," Natsu whined softly as he reached for his brother, "just rest, ok? These doctors are the best around, so just let them help. Please, brother."

Zeref laid his head back on the pillow and smiled sadly at the ceiling. "I'm going to have to leave soon, little brother."

Natsu jolted upright in his bed, sweat clinging to his skin and uneven breaths escaping his chapped lips. Eighteen years had already passed, yet his recurring nightmare still haunted him. He wasn't even on the boat the day it happened, but the details were so vivid and sickeningly descriptive that sometimes he confused the dream with reality, terrified that he was being burned alive as his dad's ship was engulfed in ravenous flames.

He closed his eyes and took in a ragged breath, though the images continued to flash behind his closed eyelids. His fingers gripped the sheets and the muscles in his back flexed from over exhaustion.

He tried to focus on the howl of the wind whipping past the sides of the ship to ground himself back to the present. That is until he heard the unfamiliar click of heels against the wooden floor of his cabin.

Natsu leapt out of bed, mechanically grabbing his sword from his bedside and hastily attaching it to his belt as if he had been conditioned to handle unexpected intruders that crept into his chambers at night.

A soft giggle reverberated off the barren walls as he scanned the room for its source. His eyes instantly landed on a busty blonde leaning against his desk, wearing none other than his captain's hat.

"Looks better on me, don't ya think Captain?" said the intruder while twirling a piece of her golden hair around her pointer finger, confidently pushing off the desk to inspect the many news reports littering the back wall of his cabin.

"And what are you s'posed to be?" Natsu attempted to distract himself from her perusing only for his short temper to get the better of him almost instantly, causing him to pull some of the more personal articles down and away from her wandering eyes.

"If you haven't already figured it out then I must be doing my job well," said the blonde, seemingly pleased that it didn't take much to get a rise out of the hot-headed Captain.

Natsu grunted, "Who are you?"

The blonde smirked. "They call me Lucky."

"Lucky?" Natsu echoed while giving the blonde a perplexed look. Was that her name or was she saying that she was Lucky? Either way, he didn't really care. He just wanted her off his ship or wrapped up in his sheets.

Wait.

Where the hell did that come from? Natsu internally slapped himself. Leave it to him to develop a fetish for blondes in Captain's hats at a time like this.

She ignored him and his inner battle, instead pulling a dagger from her boot and using it to clean underneath her fingernails, giving Natsu a wicked sneer when his eyes widened in suspicion.

Natsu snarled, crossing the room in three strides to slap the dagger out of her hand, and then pulled her flush against his body. "So you're here to kill me, then? You'll have to do better than that nail filer you call a weapon." His grip tightened on her hand. "You say your name is Lucky, but to have boarded my ship, I'd say you're quite the opposite."

The blonde simply peered up at him from underneath her thick lashes, swiping her tongue slowly across her plump lips. She watched Natsu follow the movement like a cat. "Had I wanted to kill you, you'd already be dead."

Lucky pushed herself closer against him and slid her leg between his own, sparing an amused glance to his disheveled bedhead. "No, see, you said something quite fascinating in your sleep and if I'm being honest, you have me rather intrigued."

Natsu's hand twitched behind her back as he fought the urge to rip his hat off her head, even if it did look really good on her, not that he would ever admit that out loud. "And that was?"

Lucky slid the gloved fingers of her right hand up the indent of his spine, causing Natsu to suppress a shiver, favoring a growl in her face instead.

She smiled knowingly back at him. "Spriggan 12."

At that, Natsu practically tore his hat from her head and jerked away as if he had been burned by her touch, leaving the intruder seemingly stunned and confused. "What's it to ya?"

Lucky scowled and attempted to fix her now mangled hair using her reflection in the room's lone window. "Apparently, you really don't know what I am then."

Once she was seemingly pleased with her appearance again, she spun around to face him. She stared at him patiently for a moment before sighing out her frustration at his lack of perception. "I'm a pirate hunter."

Natsu stared blankly at her. "And?"

She turned her head away and muttered under her breath, "And you clearly are an idiot."

"Oi!" Natsu shot back defensively.

Lucky tapped her finger to her chin, ignoring his sudden protests. "You do realize the Spriggan 12 are pirates, right?"

He stopped his bickering as he began replaying the last part of their conversation over in his head, realization slowly dawning on him. "You mean, you're after the Spriggan 12, too?"

She nodded confidently. "I am." For a second, she lost her composure, clearly taken aback by the last part of his response. "Wait. 'Too?' What do you mean?"

"I'm after them, as is my crew," Natsu stated matter of factly.

Lucky tsked, golden locks swaying from side to side as she shook her head in disbelief. "I'll believe that when I see it. Anyway, been a pleasure talking to you, but I have more important places to be."

She strutted towards the door, only to backpedal into the room upon meeting the fierce looking redhead blocking her only exit.

Natsu cackled behind her, rather proud of himself for outwitting her, even though it was Erza who heard him yelling in his sleep and decided to go investigate. "I told ya before, Lucky. Your luck ran out the second you stepped foot on my ship." He glanced at his shipmate, sobering up enough to give out an order. "Tie her up until I figure out what to do with her."

Lucky gave Natsu a horrified expression before trying to make a break for it. Unfortunately for her, Erza knew what she was planning as she took a knife hand to the temple, knocking her out instantly.

Natsu looked to the unconscious blonde, a little disappointed she didn't put up more of a fight. He let a sigh escape through his nose as he stepped over her lifeless form. Once he made it to the door, he walked out onto the deck of his ship, Fairy Tail, and shouted, "Set sail for Magnolia!"

"Ah, so you're awake." Natsu popped his head out from the other side of the pole Lucky was tied to as she glared at him from the corner of her eye.

She looked down to see that her torso and hands were tightly bound to the mast in the center of the deck. "You can't be serious! What am I? Your prisoner?"

Natsu gave her an offended look, though his mouth twitched in apparent amusement. "Well, you did try to kill me."

Lucky said nothing as she began to hopelessly struggle against her makeshift prison.

Natsu looked to the horizon and let out a low whistle. "Damn. Hope you don't mind getting wet, there's a storm coming."

And as he was walking away, Lucky let out a groan of frustration, muttering a "heartless bastard" under her breath before once again, trying to untangle herself from the pole.

As soon as she was out of earshot though, Natsu pulled a rather intimidating man with facial piercings and jet black hair down to his waist aside. "Once we're far enough from Port Hargeon, untie her."

The black haired man raised a studded eyebrow. "You sure, runt? What if she tries to kill you again?"

Natsu just waved off the warning. "That's why you're going to keep an eye on her. If she does anything suspicious, you have my permission to have her walk the plank."

Gajeel let a sadistic sneer twist his lips as he gave Natsu a mock salute. He was such a sucker for the old 'walk the plank' punishment that it didn't take any persuading on Natsu's end to get Gajeel to play the role of an obedient guard dog. "Gihi. Aye aye, Captain."

Gajeel immediately made his way over to the blonde prisoner once Natsu returned to his quarters. Without so much as a hello, he gave the girl a scowl before turning his back to her and crossing his arms over his chest.

"And you are? What? A guard?" She snorted looking the tall man up and down. "Well, I'm flattered the Captain considers me threatening enough."

"Quiet, Wench!" Gajeel sneered at the cheeky woman. "I ain't afraid to throw ya."

"You don't scare me Mr. Tall, Dark, and Vicious." She glared defiantly up at the hulk of a man, though she seemed to have went pin straight against the mast in an effort to get as far away from him as possible.

Gajeel threw her a knowing glance. "Ya may talk big, but yer actions are tellin' me yer scared shitless."

Lucky scowled. The guy may look like a giant oaf, but he actually seemed quite perceptive. Outwitting him would certainly be a challenge, but what other choice did she have? "Instead of being an uncivilized swine, why don't you untie me and make your guest feel more welcomed?" She batted her eyelashes flirtatiously up at him, pushing her chest against the ropes in hopes of accentuating her assets. "How about a tour of this magnificent ship?"

Gajeel stared blankly at her before booming out a thunderous laugh that had a few of the crew members turning their heads in interest. "That kinda shit won't work on me, blondie. Not to mention, ye ain't my type." Gajeel stood straight, reaching into his back pocket to pull out a knife, "But I gotta admit, ya got balls."

The Pirate Hunter inched further away from the intimidating man prowling towards her with a knife. Nothing good ever came from an imposing figure coming at her with a weapon. She forced her hand into her back pocket hoping for something to fight back with; a concealed gun, a dagger - hell, anything! It wasn't until she came up empty that she really began to panic. She heard the man's footsteps and instinctively tucked her head into her chest. She closed her eyes waiting for a painful death, slightly regretting toying with the Captain, but the pain never came. All she felt was the rope that was keeping her prisoner loosen completely. She cracked open an eye to see Mr. Tall, Dark and Vicious kneeled down ready to cut the binds around her wrists and ankles.

Well, at least I'm not dead. Lucky thought in relief while rubbing her sore wrists.

Gajeel, however, was already making his way down the stairs. "Ya still want that tour?" he threw over his shoulder carelessly, "Or ya want the men to throw ya overboard?"

Without another word, Lucky got up and began walking the path Gajeel had taken. After all, a tour was a lot less painful than being thrown into the unforgiving sea.

It didn't take much to get the blondie talking, Gajeel realized. He had spoken very few words about the workings of the ship when her eyes lit up. It was really weird watching a familiar expression on a stranger's face, yet oddly comforting.

"How do you know any of this anyway?" He decided to stop her tirade of questions that went unanswered because of her never-ending excitement. He looked down at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"I read it in this thing called a book," she quipped as she tilted her head up to meet his curious gaze, flipping the pages of an imaginary book. "You should try it sometime. They could teach you a thing or two Mr. Tall, Dark, and Vicious."

"Ok smart ass," Gajeel smirked. "You should meet my wife. You'd get along great."

"Really?" Lucky laughed. "If she's married to you then how great can she really be?"

"Oh, super! Yer both worms with an unnatural love for books and yer mouths are constantly a-yapping," he said with mirth in his eyes and a goofy grin on his lips.

Lucky took one look at the towering man's grin and began to laugh. It was nice to simply banter like old friends and just enjoy each other's company. Because for some unknown reason, she actually was enjoying this stranger's company. No talk about the war or the Spriggans or of her parent's passing. Gods, did she find it refreshing. Gajeel soon joined in and all that was heard throughout the halls were echoes of joy filled laughter.

"So," Lucky began to compose herself, "what exactly do you do here?"

"I keep it running smoothly," he answered without elaborating.

"Then you're an engineer of sorts," Lucky spoke slowly, hoping she could get him to explain.

"Nothing that fancy," Gajeel disregarded before crossing his arms, "I fix things that are broken like a carpenter."

The blonde stopped in her tracks staring at the tall pierced man in shock. "You know the entire layout of the ship. You oversee and operate the workings and structure of the entire ship. You were somehow able to combine the most efficient parts of a Hydrofoil warship and a jet engine all for the sake of speed."

"Well, when yer out on the sea doing illegal stuff ye gotta be able to run fast and - if ya haven't noticed - running's impossible on a ship. With all that upgrading the Navy's been doing, figured we needed one of our own," Gajeel smirked. "Ain't my fault they valued weapons over speed, the greedy bastards." The tall man let out an amused cackle before he continued walking towards the belly of the ship.

Before they could go any further, however, the red-haired woman from the night before called out for Gajeel. Getting a better look at her, Lucky noticed she was far more intimidating than the man standing next to her. She wore two swords, one attached to each hip, and her right eye was covered by an eyepatch.

"We'll need you on deck to dock the ship. Captain has some business in Magnolia so use this opportunity to restock on anything you may need. Once you're finished, be prepared to pull up anchor, we want to be ready in case the Royal Navy spots us," she ordered before leaving just as quickly as she had come.

"Aye," Gajeel responded out of habit to the woman's back.

Lucky tried not to think about it, she really did, but her curious nature refused to just leave the matter of the Pirate Captain's business unsolved. What could be so important that he would just dock in Magnolia? - a place that was under the protection of the Royal Navy. And the Royal Navy was not particularly known for their fondness of pirates, quite the opposite in fact.

"Um, I have some personal business to attend to." She began to excuse herself while walking back the way they had come, "Do you mind?"

"Don't get caught," Gajeel grunted before he left to perform his assigned duties.

Lucky turned to smile appreciatively at the man's back before beginning her search for the Captain of the ship. Maybe some pirates weren't so bad after all.

Natsu cursed under his breath as his regiment was given another mundane tugboat assignment. "Do we ever get to do anything important?"

The raven-haired teen standing beside him snickered. "Helping someone stranded in the middle of nowhere is important, you moron."

"What do you know? You're just another trainee, Gray! We need to be tackling the real issue," Natsu spat between clenched teeth, fighting the urge to punch him.

Gray rolled his eyes but decided to humor him. "And what's that?"

Natsu's eyes widened and his mouth parted like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Pirates, duh."

Gray groaned. He should have known. After what happened to Natsu's father, it was understandable that that was all Natsu could think about.

"There are other crucial tasks a Navy does. In fact, pirate hunting isn't very high on the list as of late. Ever since that raid ten years ago-" Gray trailed off, worried he may have lit the fuse on Natsu's short temper.

Natsu balled his fists at his sides and dropped his gaze to his feet. "Well, they're wrong. They are the biggest threat."

Gray let out a strangled breath, thankful that Natsu was attempting to keep his composure. "If you want to hunt down pirates so bad, why not just, I don't know, become a pirate?"

Natsu's head snapped up and a crooked smile began to creep onto his face. "Gray! I thought you were just some pretty boy with ice for brains, but that's actually genius!"

Gray facepalmed. "I was joking, dumbass! There's no way you can make it as a pirate! Besides, if you do that, we'll be enemies!"

Natsu cackled. "What makes you think we aren't enemies already? You don't think I can make it as a pirate?" Natsu challenged as he broke formation and snuck his way to the back of the group, looking back at his friend one last time. "Watch me."

He couldn't help but remember the last time he had seen Gray. Who would ever believe that Captain Natsu Dragneel of the Fairy Tail had become a notorious pirate because of a current respected Navy Official's passing comment. He chuckled as he remembered his genius plan to debut as a pirate. It certainly wasn't easy taking out an entire fleet before he had made off with one of their ships. How he managed to escape with his life that day was still a mystery, but he did and the look on Gray's face as he sailed away was much too priceless to ever forget.

Natsu looked up to see the main base of the Royal Navy. Knowing Gray and how fond he was of the sea, there was no way he would have settled for anything less than a grand ocean view. Sneaking past some of the guards patrolling the outside parameter, Natsu made his way to the side of the building facing the port. His eyes scanned the various windows in hopes of finding the sign he and Gray had agreed upon.

It wasn't hard to spot Gray's silver cross necklace dangling from the latch of one of the windows, glimmering in the setting sun. Leave it to Gray to have the biggest fucking window. It's not like some suspicious guy in a pirate getup scaling the wall would draw any attention.

Nope.

Deep down Natsu wondered if his old friend actually wanted him to get caught.

"Yo," a bare-chested man wearing a long overcoat and a crimson tricorn greeted as he came in through the large window.

"It's about time," First Sergeant Gray Fullbuster responded without ever looking up from his riffling. He would recognize that voice anywhere despite the fact of it being years since he last heard it. Natsu Dragneel was a good friend - his best friend if he was perfectly honest - and he would admit that to anyone save for the man in question. "I was beginning to think the sea had finally gotten the best of you."

"She never will," The Pirate Captain began with a smirk as he sat comfortably in the chair in front of his friend. "She knows I still have some business to settle."

"Ah, so you and the sea have come to an understanding?" the Sergeant questioned as he looked up at the Captain with a cocked eyebrow.

"Of course!" Natsu exclaimed dramatically. "It's why I'm still here."

Gray sniggered. "Well, isn't that uncharacteristically kind of her. Everyone knows that the sea is a cruel mistress."

"Yes, well, the will to live is stronger than anything else in this world," Natsu responded softly, "Once you've given that up, you die. I've been lucky to have lived my life as a free man on the sea."

"A free man?" Gray grunted in amusement before returning to his previous affairs. "I could only ever dream of being a free man. I'm afraid I've bound my life to protect others. However, I do not regret my decision."

"It's not too late, you know?" said Natsu in that same gentle tone.

"I beg your pardon?" Gray asked hoping against hope that his friend wasn't implying what he thought he was.

"You can still do something drastic and have the whole army want you dead." Natsu leaned forward as though he were about to share one of his plans of doing something incredibly outrageous and stupid.

"Like they do with you?" Gray silently recalled the reason for the army's hatred for the man. "If it's all the same to you, I prefer the life of not worrying for my own each day." He shook his head before walking over to the Pirate Captain and handing him the reason for his being there.

"You know," Natsu began in a careful tone as he reached for the parchment, "If you ever find yourself running from the law, there's always room for you on my ship."

"The Fairy Tail?" Gray responded as he walked back to lean on his work desk. Natsu simply nodded and fondly smiled at his old friend. "No, I don't think I could ever become a pirate," Gray continued with a chuckle.

"Sure you can! Anyone can! I did!" Natsu exclaimed proudly.

"Yes, but you're insane!" Gray teased.

"Oi!" Natsu yelled, insulted, while the First Sergeant of the Navy laughed merrily.

"However, in all seriousness," Gray began once more after calming down, "I don't think I could ever do what you're doing. My father was a respected official of the Royal Navy and I would hate to drag his good name through the mud. Our hatred for the Spriggan Pirates is where our similarities end, Natsu. You walk along the path you've chosen and I'll walk mine."

Natsu looked at his old friend and he could see that the stress of searching had aged him some. Gray's once bright and hopeful face was now weary from disappointment and time. His dark blue eyes, that were once filled with inexhaustible excitement and pride, were now a clouded gray from experiencing a life no ordinary twenty-six year old should have to endure. If there was one thing Natsu understood, it was that war was never pleasant and death was blind.

"Well, you don't have to develop any more wrinkles, old man 'cause I'll take all twelve of them out for the both of us," Natsu spoke as he rose from his seat and made his way toward the exit. "Thanks for sharing the information you've been able to gather. I'll make sure to put it to good use," he waved the parchment.

"Just promise me one thing," Gray said before Natsu's hand could touch the latch of the window, "Promise me you'll at least give me something of those bastards."

Natsu turned his head to look at his old friend. "Of course. I promise to hand over their cold, lifeless bodies." He looked down at the parchment in his left hand and stared at the unfamiliar personalized Navy symbol. He brought it up to examine the seal more closely before turning to his old friend with a question on his lips.

"It's Juvia's," Gray shrugged.

"I see you haven't been doing your job," Natsu snorted in amusement while waving the rolled up piece of paper around. "Give Mrs. Fullbuster my regards."

Before Gray could say anything more, the Captain of the Fairy Tail crew was gone. Leaving no trace of the fact that he had ever been in the company of a respected Royal Navy Officer.

Natsu landed outside the window with a dull thud, parchment safely tucked away in his coat pocket as he took to the shadows.

After a few moments of picking up on the soft click-clack of heels on pavement, however, he realized he'd been followed. Natsu turned to the blonde stalking not too far behind him. Irritation coated his tongue, though he was anything but. In fact, he was actually a little impressed she managed to stay hidden for as long as she had. "It's unbecoming of a lady to eavesdrop, Lucky."

Lucky ignored his snarky remark. "What business do you have with the Royal Navy?"

Natsu pulled out the parchment, briefly waving it over his shoulder before stuffing back into his pocket. "Got some dirt on the Spriggans."

Lucy's mouth dropped open in astonishment. "So it's true then? You really are after the Spriggan 12?"

Natsu shrugged as he continued to walk towards the reef that hid his ship. "I wasn't lying when I told you the first time."

Lucky stumbled into step beside him, eyes filled with unanswered questions. "To go as far as teaming up with the enemy to take them down, though?" She placed a hand upon his shoulder in hopes of slowing him down. "Just what exactly did they do for you to carry such a vendetta?"

Natsu didn't respond right away, debating whether or not he wanted to reopen old wounds. "It's - complicated."

Lucky scoffed and stepped in front of him. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm quite resourceful. I'm sure I can keep up."

Natsu scratched the back of his neck, avoiding her inquisitive eyes. "They just - aren't good people."

Lucky tapped her foot impatiently and crossed her arms over her chest, clearly not pleased by his vague explanation.

He sighed, deciding that if he ever wanted to get back to the ship before dawn, it was best to attempt to appease her insatiable appetite for knowledge. "You remember that raid fifteen years ago? You know, the one on the Galleon ship, the Red Dragon?"

Lucky's eyes widened slightly, but she looked down before Natsu could be sure. She brought her clenched fists to her stomach before tightly wrapping her arms around herself. She looked out to where the ship was docked to avoid any eye contact with the Captain before meekly nodding her head, encouraging him to continue.

"Well, the captain of that ship, Igneel, was my father." Natsu shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unsure if his discomfort was from reliving the memory or how easily he was able to open up to the mysterious blonde. "After pops died, my older brother, Zeref, became severely depressed. He wouldn't eat, sleep, or talk to anyone." He fisted the parchment in his pocket. "Not long after, he'd fallen gravely ill and being too weak to fend it off, he passed away."

Lucky spun around abruptly and started walking back towards the ship. "It's getting late. Let's head back, we don't need to talk about this anymore if you don't want to."

Natsu started walking behind her, warmed by her attempt to give him a way out of the conversation if he didn't wish to continue. "It doesn't bother me as much as it used to. It's made me who I am, given me a reason to live."

Lucky turned back to look at him, a soft smile spreading across her glossed lips. "Well then, we can talk more when we get back to the Fairy Tail. If you want to, that is."

Natsu flashed her a toothy grin and nodded as they continued walking side by side in comfortable silence.

When they were back onboard, Natsu filled the night with funny stories from his childhood, when he would sneak onto the Galleon and pretend to be part of Igneel's crew. He told her that he joined the navy to get his hands on a cure for his brother since they had more access to rare medicines than the general public did. That's also where he met his frenemy, Gray, and that it was because of him that he was now a pirate.

"Now, I am the best swordsman that sails these waters. No doubt about that," Natsu crowed behind a cocky sneer, pride and confidence emanating off him in waves.

"I can take you," Lucy responded back nonchalantly while stretching her arms up and over her head.

Natsu snarled playfully, unsheathing his rapier and tossing it from his left to right hand. "Is that a challenge, Lucky?"

Lucky turned towards him, hair cascading over her shoulder like a golden waterfall reflecting in the sunlight. "Just a fact, Captain."

Natsu flicked a stray strand of hair over her shoulder with the tip of his sword. "Care to test that theory?"

Lucky's eyes darkened as they landed on his weapon lingering dangerously close to the soft skin at the base of her neck. Wordlessly, she pulled a dagger from its casing attached to her thigh, gracefully flexing her muscles into a more suitable stance for battle.

Natsu scoffed, dropping his guard slightly. "Really, Lucky? Only a dagger again?"

Lucy took that split second to catch him off guard, coiling her body like a spring and lunging forward. Her dagger slid up the metal shaft of his weapon while her free hand twisted his wrist forcefully against the momentum of her dagger's movement, causing him to lose his grip as his sword clattered to the floor. She immediately followed up with a well-placed elbow to his nose and with a swift flick of her ankle, laid Natsu flat out on his ass.

Natsu cursed as he wiped the blood dripping from his nose off of his lips. He tried to act offended, really he did, but he couldn't seem to hide the overwhelming feeling of fondness and admiration that rattled him to his very core. "That was a lucky shot."

Lucy simpered triumphantly. "And now you know why they call me Lucky, my Captain."

Something about the warmth of her smile and the way she had said My Captain had his heart pounding against his ribcage like a million fireworks shooting adrenaline off into his veins.

She turned her back to him and waved a hand over her shoulder as she headed in for the night. "Though I can't really call myself a pirate hunter anymore seeing as I'm part of the Fairy Tail crew, now can I?"

Natsu's pulse quickened, thumping loudly in his ears, his tone hopeful. "You mean, you're gonna join us, Lucky?"

Only stopping once her hand was on the handle of the door that led inside, she bit back a smile of her own. "Call me Lucy, Captain." And with that, she swiftly opened the door and scooted inside without another word.

Natsu, still in his sitting position, flopped backward onto the deck and looked up towards the night sky. "Lucy." He tested the word on his tongue, growling happily when he decided he really liked the taste.